It was the last day of the Synthesis Cycle. I had just finished the last set of finals of my high school career. Because of the incredibly flawed format of the synthesis cycle—which I don’t even have time to get into—I finished my day at 1 p.m. and was happy to be able to get my three-day weekend started early. Here is where I made my fatal error. I didn’t think about the impact of what I was doing as my fingers hit the screen. When I heard my name, I knew I had been caught red-handed. The jig was up. Had I committed a crime? Had I cheated on a test? No, I did something much worse: I texted my parent to find out where the car was. By the time I had put my phone back in my pocket, it was too late. They said they needed to take my phone. 

I tried to explain that I was just trying to leave. However, that doesn’t matter. I knew “away all day” was supposed to be from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., but I didn’t know that it applied only to me while I was actively trying to leave the building—not the other five people within six feet of me also on their phones. I guess the administration wants us to walk out into the single-digit temperatures before arranging our pickups.

In addition, I was told I couldn’t get my phone back until 3:30 p.m., two and a half hours later. If I had thought I could reasonably and safely leave without my phone, I would’ve, but it is never smart to go somewhere without being able to be contacted or tracked. After the testing week and a half of work I had just been through, I was not keen on sticking around for another few hours. So, did I give them my phone? No. 

Should I have? Maybe, but it didn’t seem like it was an option at the moment. It was not an interaction I would recommend having with anyone, but I kept my phone and was able to go home. Afterward, I emailed Mr. Bruno and Ms. Zeller explaining my situation and asking for clarification on the policy. I received no response. 

Then, on reorientation day, they got up on stage and attempted to claim that the policy had been working. Sure, in the 10 seconds you are walking through the hallway, and everyone throws their phone under the nearest piece of furniture, but is that really the policy working? 

What troubles me about this is that I understand the goal. I don’t think it’s great for people to sit on their phones doom-scrolling when they can do other, better things. The problem with the phone policy is that it stops you from using your phone for things like contacting people or checking your schedule between classes and doesn’t stop the doom-scrolling. People still use their phones for social media, and if they want to be safe, they could just switch to their computers and be in compliance with the rules. 

Ignoring the side of the issue where social media could enhance discussion with friends, there are more direct solutions to eliminating social media in school. We could block basic social media sites from our wireless networks or even add signal blockers for the few networks that work in the school. Right now, we are trying to block technology without using technology. A technological problem requires a technological solution, and to successfully achieve the desired results of the phone policy, we must approach it differently.